Sewing pattern review.

My personal reviews of commercial patterns available for the seamstresses of the world. If there is a pattern you'd like me to look at let me know. 

[cosplaymamathings]

Hey all

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. I’ve been on vacation from sewing but I’ll be back soon to upload more pattern reviews ^^

[cosplaymamathings]

25 posts! I didn’t realize this was a thing XD 

[cosplaymamathings]

This is one of the worst patterns I’ve ever used. I am almost convince the people who work at patterns of times do not employ people who know how to write cohesive instructions for the layman to understand.   The whole packet is about 14 pages long. 12 1/2 of those pages are basically a history lesson of the shirt and the last pages are 3 different sets of instructions that they basically tell you, “pick one and do it.” The fabric yardage on the back of the package is NOT correct. The pattern pieces are undersized because you are expected to use a ruler and draw out the dimensions.  This a garbage pattern and I highly urge you to not waste your money on Pattern of Times, patterns.

[cosplaymamathings]

This is a nice little pattern that come with an underskirt. It has no lining instructions which was a little disappointing but for the style of dress you’re suppose to make and wear a chemise underneath. If you go that route I suggest making the dress a little larger to compensate for the extra fabric.  I wore the underskirt for a while but I found that I liked the dress better without it. It seemed to flow a little bit better and not get as bunched up when you walk.  The instructions were written well and I think an intermediate would be right at home with this pattern.  Difficulty level 4 Photo by Krystal miller of Red Zone Fandom. 

[cosplaymamathings]

I had waited so long to make this! and I was not disappointed with the result. It was pretty easy to read and put together it suffered from short yardage however so do yourself a favor and get at least another yard on top of what is asked for. With the skirt part of the robe I just serged the pieces together and then I pleated instead of gathered because it gives the skirt a more elegant look. You unfortunately can’t find this pattern in the stores anymore so if you desire it you must look to ebay or etsy and hopefully find one for sale.  Difficultly level 7

[cosplaymamathings]

I wasn’t expecting much from this pattern. A lot of these styles come with monkey written directions and mis-matched pattern pieces. But this time I was wrong. It the instructions were simple and easy to read. The only thing I did different was I put the whole dress together before I added the zipper. It does not come with lining instrutions but if you are experienced you can easily make your own.  I will say if you get 45′’ fabric please get an extra yard and half. I got the amount specified on the package but it came up short and I had to skew the grain lines to get it to fit, and really that is the only criticism I have for this pattern.  Difficultly level 4

[cosplaymamathings]

This pattern was okay. Not good, not bad, definitely not great but okay. This was another pattern where they seem to make things a little harder then it needed to be, from the wording of the instructions to the weird way they wanted you to sew things together. I was perplexed because this pattern didn’t call for boning or interfacing which I know from experience would make the dress floppy and not hold its shape correctly when worn. I applied some thick interfacing to the bodice and that’s all it needed to be honest. (and I was being too lazy to get boning lol). If you can get past the weird instructions this isn’t a bad pattern. I probably won’t use it again as there are better written and executed patterns of this same design out there. So use it at your own headache.  Difficulty level 6

[cosplaymamathings]

I wanted a button up shirt but couldn’t find one so I made one. This pattern was fun and easy to make.  difficulty level 2

[cosplaymamathings]

Oh boy...I have a love/hate relationship with this pattern. It makes a wonderful dress but whoever wrote the directions was a nut! It is written as such to make things harder then it needs to be. There are few materials not listen on the material section of the pattern case that you will need such as felt for the underskirt and gabardine for the pleating of the skirt and boning for the bodice. Personally instead of the gabardine I used interfacing to keep the pleats keep the proper shape. I also starched the pleats to help with wear and tear. As far as boning I used zip ties because they will not buckle or warp with your body heat and along with the zip ties I double layered the interfacing to help it keep its shape. One layer of normal interfacing and one layer of fusible fleece and for the lining and I highly suggest a thicker suiting fabric that you can stand against your skin. The slippery lining fabric they sell is garbage and will not help your garment hold its shape and durability so please don’t waste your money.  The underskirt directions for the waist band is, too me, unclear. The easiest way to make it is to simply make a waist band, sew right sides together, press the un-sewn edge under and slip stitch it closed then put on a hook and eye and you’re good to go!!  You will also need a large hoop skirt to obtain the silhouette shown on the package or your dress will fall flat.  So I do recommend this pattern if you are experienced enough to root around the BS direction but not if you’re new at sewing.  difficult level 8

[cosplaymamathings]

I adore this pattern, it makes a very pretty little dress. (This one was made to wear at a wedding) I substituted the boning it ask for, for fusible fleece which surprisingly worked very well to hold the shape. Now it does call for shirring on the sides of the dress and I did it with a test piece but I didn’t really notice a difference fitting wise so I left my dress without the shirring. You can do what you prefer ^_^.  The size fitting can run a little bit big but not too bad so before to fit it to yourself or your dress form before cutting out the fabric. The wording of the directions is very clear and easy to read so I would recommend this for an advance beginner and above.  Difficultly level 3 

[cosplaymamathings]

I had a client who wanted a custom dress. She grabbed this pattern and said I want this! (Note I added sleeves to the overdress. It doesn’t not come with them) The over and under dress I think were written very well and is easy to follow. I do express that instead of plastic boning use industrial zip ties. It will hold the shape and last longer. Also there is no call for lining and honestly with a dress like this lining is essential to it lasting longer. Simply copy the dress shell and sew it right sides together around the top of the dress, flip it inside out and you’ll have a lined dress. Other then that this is a pretty nice pattern.  Difficulty level 4 

[cosplaymamathings]

As you can see this is a rather adorable pattern. It make a really cute product. I didn’t do the felting part mostly cause I am lazy lol but I have seen a friend do it and it looks nice. The problem I found with this pattern is the sizing is wonky! A size 8 is really a 6 and a size 6 is really a 4 X_X I had to make two of these just to work out all the kinks so be sure to cut and size the pattern before you use it to cut the fabric. This pattern also calls for stretchy fabric and trust me don’t do anything different or you will have a failure and on that note be sure to check and make sure that the stretch is going to the right way, (The stretch goes from side to side not up and down, if that makes sense) cause it needs to have give when you’re putting it over your head.  So a nice pattern that is fun to make.  Difficultly level 3

[cosplaymamathings]

When Brave came out of course Simplicity was going to cash in on it lol. I used this pattern because my niece wanted to be Merida for Halloween. It is a pretty straight forward pattern and pretty easy to read but if you’re making it for a child be sure to have access to the child for fittings. The child sizes I found to be a little wonky so if you don’t have the child on hand be sure to take extra care in measuring. Also don’t do what I did and use stretch velvet and not accommodate for the stretch in the measurements. One other note I would like to point out is if comes with a underskirt part and I made it but when my niece worn she complained it was uncomfortable. It could have just been her preference but I found the dress looked better without the underskirt anyway. So yes a nice pattern to make a nice Merida dress. Difficulty level 4   

[cosplaymamathings]

Another pony dress lol, but this pattern worked nicely for what I needed. It’s easy to follow and has a lot of helpful tips. It would be a great amateur pattern. Take care however if you choose a stretchy fabric because you’ll need to alter the size to accommodate the stretch of the fabric.   Difficultly level 2 

[cosplaymamathings]

I really enjoyed this pattern. Patterns for male clothes can be hit or miss but this one was very well written and produces a pretty product.  My advise for this one is to pick a heavier fabric or the outer shell but a thinner cotton for the lining. Take great care with the ribbon or trim of your choosing and baste them before stitching them permanently as to make sure they match up when you sew the front to back. Also take your time with the pieces on the bottom so they overlap properly to give the right silhouette. Difficultly level 3 

[cosplaymamathings]

I picked this pattern up when I made a friend of mine a wedding dress. This was the style she wanted and this pattern produces a nice final product. I used it for my Princess Cadence cosplay as well, but I honestly will not use this pattern ever again. The directions were not very well written in a way that is easy to understand. I showed it to a more experienced seamstress and even she scratched her head. Though other then that it is bearable to work with. This pattern I found had some wonky sizes so be sure to fit it either to yourself or a dress for before you cut out your fabric.  Difficulty level 7

[cosplaymamathings]

This is one of the few steampunk patterns put on the market a few years ago when Steampunk was picking up.  The shirt pattern is pretty straight forward but you ABSOLUTELY have to use the material suggested OR you can use material similar to what is suggested but either way the under shell has to be stretchy to accommodate the stretchy lace. (I modified the shirt and added my wacky looking sleeves)  The under bust pattern is pretty simple as well I only suggest taking great care where you want to put the boning because it can come out kinda wonky looking when you stitch the casing. I honestly would use the casing the boning comes in or make your own from bias tape and stitch it to the lining of the under bust and go from there that way the boning stitching is not showing on the outer shell.  The skirt pattern is fairly nice. The apron and cascade portions were a little bit funny but once you put it all together it comes out nice. Be sure to either surge or double fold the hem on both the apron and cascade to ensure a nice crisp look. Now the bustle part says to use rope to tie it all together but for the sake of price and ease I would use some grosgrain ribbon ^^.  All in all I enjoy this pattern and I have used it often and made some pretty nice pieces like the one shown ^^  Difficulty 6 (whole pattern)